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Daily Reader for Day 35: Leviticus 8 - 10


by Dave Moore

At the end of Exodus, the author remembers the first Israelite New Year when the tabernacle was erected in the Wilderness of Sinai. Now that the basic instructions for the sacrificial system have been transmitted, the time has come to officially purify and commission the priests to superintend that tabernacle.

Chapter 8 begins the only real narrative in the book of Leviticus. It is not an accidental tangent, but, rather, the natural next step in a cycle we’ve seen before. In Exodus, the LORD issues the covenant (20-23), Israel affirms it (24:1-3), and then the LORD responds by revealing Himself to the seventy elders (24:9-10). Later, the LORD gives designs for the tabernacle and priestly garments (Exodus 25-31), Israel responds by manufacturing them (35-40), and then the LORD’s glory descends (40:34-38).

Now that God has instructed the priests in how they are to maintain worship before the LORD, the time has come for them to respond. Each detail of the commissioning service is carefully recounted as Moses outfits Aaron piece by piece: the coat and sash; the robe and ephod; the breastpiece with its tools of discernment; the turban, the gold plate, and the holy crown. Listen again to the reassurance that all is done just “as the LORD commanded Moses.”

The table is now set for Aaron to make the first offering of atonement for the people of Israel. Again, the details follow “all that the LORD had commanded.” The suspense builds to a climax at the end of chapter 9, as now the only question is how, or whether, the LORD will respond.

Immediately following the commissioning service is a moment of tragedy. The text asserts that two of Aaron’s sons did that “which the LORD had not commanded them,” even though we’re not exactly sure what that thing was. Watch as Moses guides Aaron through his response, and as they both negotiate their way through the intricacies of this new world.

Hopefully, you’ve almost memorized our verse for this week, Hebrews 11:29: By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

Leviticus chapters 8 through 10. Now let’s read it!

Leviticus 8 - 10

Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, "Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting." Moses did as Jehovah commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing which Jehovah has commanded to be done." Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. He put the tunic on him, tied the sash on him, clothed him with the robe, put the ephod on him, and he tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod on him and fastened it to him with it. He placed the breastplate on him. He put the Urim and Thummim in the breastplate. He set the turban on his head. He set the golden plate, the holy crown, on the front of the turban, as Jehovah commanded Moses. Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and sanctified them. He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. Moses brought Aaron's sons, and clothed them with tunics, and tied sashes on them, and put headbands on them, as Jehovah commanded Moses. He brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it. He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it on the altar. But the bull, and its skin, and its meat, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as Jehovah commanded Moses. He presented the ram of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. He cut the ram into its pieces; and Moses burned the head, and the pieces, and the fat. He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Jehovah, as Jehovah commanded Moses. He presented the other ram, the ram of consecration. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. He killed it; and Moses took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. He brought Aaron's sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood around on the altar. He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the innards, the cover of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was before Jehovah, he took one unleavened cake, one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. He put all these in Aaron's hands and in his sons' hands, and waved them for a wave offering before Jehovah. Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration offering for a pleasant aroma. It was an offering made by fire to Jehovah. Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before Jehovah. It was Moses' portion of the ram of consecration, as Jehovah commanded Moses. Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons' garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, "Boil the meat at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of consecration, as I commanded, saying, 'Aaron and his sons shall eat it.' What remains of the meat and of the bread you shall burn with fire. You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are fulfilled: for he shall consecrate you seven days. What has been done today, so Jehovah has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. You shall stay at the door of the Tent of Meeting day and night seven days, and keep Jehovah's command, that you don't die: for so I am commanded." Aaron and his sons did all the things which Jehovah commanded by Moses. On the eighth day, Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; and he said to Aaron, "Take a calf from the herd for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without defect, and offer them before Jehovah. You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'Take a male goat for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both a year old, without defect, for a burnt offering; and a bull and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before Jehovah; and a meal offering mixed with oil: for today Jehovah appears to you.'" They brought what Moses commanded before the Tent of Meeting. All the congregation came near and stood before Jehovah. Moses said, "This is the thing which Jehovah commanded that you should do; and Jehovah's glory shall appear to you." Moses said to Aaron, "Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as Jehovah commanded." So Aaron came near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar; but the fat, and the kidneys, and the cover from the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar, as Jehovah commanded Moses. The meat and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp. He killed the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons delivered the blood to him, and he sprinkled it around on the altar. They delivered the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head. He burned them upon the altar. He washed the innards and the legs, and burned them on the burnt offering on the altar. He presented the people's offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and killed it, and offered it for sin, like the first. He presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. He presented the meal offering, and filled his hand from there, and burned it upon the altar, in addition to the burnt offering of the morning. He also killed the bull and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people. Aaron's sons delivered to him the blood, which he sprinkled around on the altar; and the fat of the bull and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers the innards, and the kidneys, and the cover of the liver; and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat on the altar. Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh for a wave offering before Jehovah, as Moses commanded. Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people, and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting, and came out, and blessed the people; and Jehovah's glory appeared to all the people. Fire came out from before Jehovah, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. Fire came out from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what Jehovah spoke of, saying, 'I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" Aaron held his peace. Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Draw near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary out of the camp." So they came near, and carried them in their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, "Don't let the hair of your heads go loose, and don't tear your clothes, so that you don't die, and so that he will not be angry with all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Jehovah has kindled. You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is on you." They did according to the word of Moses. Then Jehovah said to Aaron, "You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean. You are to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah has spoken to them by Moses." Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, "Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy; and you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your portion, and your sons' portion, of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire; for so I am commanded. The waved breast and the heaved thigh you shall eat in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you: for they are given as your portion, and your sons' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the children of Israel. They shall bring the heaved thigh and the waved breast with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before Jehovah. It shall be yours, and your sons' with you, as a portion forever, as Jehovah has commanded." Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burned. He was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, "Why haven't you eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is most holy, and he has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah? Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly should have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded." Aaron spoke to Moses, "Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before Jehovah; and such things as these have happened to me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been pleasing in Jehovah's sight?" When Moses heard that, it was pleasing in his sight.

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You Can Read the Bible is supported by Bellefield Presbyterian Church and blessed with its wonderful volunteers, including: Dave Moore, Jose David Aguilar Posada, Meagan Carter, Fiona Carter, Tanya Carter, Greg Burdette, Madeline Kulp, Andie Young, Justin Ray, Gary Liberati, Maureen Hinchman, Ken MacLeod, John Dolan, Roberto Cantillo, Charlei George, Josh Brown, Jeanne Griffith, Zachary Fritts, Dan Hinchman, Sophia Young, Lynette MacLeod, Gladys Cantillo, Grace Watson, Marianne Seah, Ian MacLeod, Liz Zimmerman, August Hall, Paza Boyd, Kristin Horner, Daniel Young, Paul Griffoen, Ben Moore, Meredith Carter, Bob Willson, Rosie Wagoner, Nick Bersin, Rhonda Hall, Helen Dolby, Emily Moore, Rick Zimmerman, Matt Jones, Kiana Jones, Jane Carter, Marilyn Long, Renee Hairston, Heather Weaver, Carol Williams, Anita Woolley, Andrew Thorpe, Emily Wenz, Matt Carter, and many others.

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